Method for Conditioning a Food

ABSTRACT

A method for conditioning a food in connection with a treatment, a processing, or the production of the food in an air environment in an open conditioning space, whereby a) climatic data influencing the food in the conditioning process are captured during the conditioning process in the surroundings of the food within the conditioning space, wherein, as climatic data, the conditioning variables of temperature, absolute water content and air pressure are captured as measured values and are compared with food-related setpoint values for the temperature change process, and b) if a deviation of the measured value from the setpoint value associated therewith is detected, the surroundings of the food in the conditioning space are influenced in order to adjust the measured value to the setpoint value.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a method for conditioning a food inconjunction with a treatment, a processing, or the production of thefood in an air environment in an open conditioning space.

Baked products, such as bread, rolls and the like, must cool down afterbeing removed from the oven provided for baking before they aresubjected to further treatment. Such a subsequent treatment may forexample be slicing bread or packaging or freezing the cooled down bakedproducts. The cooling down process after the actual baking in theproduction of baked products is not an uncritical step, primarilybecause it passes through temperature ranges in which recontamination ofthe baked products can occur. Recontamination means those processesthrough which such baked product is exposed to the ambient air whilecooling down and microbial germs in the ambient air can settle on thesurface of the cooling baking piece. The cooling down rate of bakedproducts removed from an oven depends on the condition of the bakedproducts, wherein the cooling down of baked products having a large massand a relatively high specific weight takes respectively longer at roomtemperature. For wholemeal bread, if cooling down at room temperaturefrom a core temperature of about 90° C. to a slicing temperature, i.e. acore temperature of about 24° C., a cooling down time of about 8 hoursand longer can be expected. The cooling time may be 12-24 hours andlonger for great bread weights.

Humidifiers are used when using refrigeration facilities to acceleratecooling down of baked products to prevent a larger moisture loss whilethe baked products removed from an oven are cooling down. Steamgenerators are used for this purpose. Humidifying the air by steamduring the cooling down phase may counteract a high moisture loss in thebaked product. But care must be taken that no condensates form which canexert an adverse physical and hygienic influence on the baked product.

Defrosting deep-frozen foods, particularly at a food processing plant,is not without problems if the structure, optical appearance, and tasteof the frozen food must be maintained. Maintaining a changed structureof a deep-frozen food after defrosting requires freezing as intended.The freezing rate and thus the freezing time have a critical influenceon maintaining the original food structure during freezing. Freezingrate and time depend on the ambient temperature, among other factors. Asa rule, the quality of the food after defrosting is better if it hasbeen cooled down from the ambient temperature to the deep-freezetemperature in a short time. A food processing plant is typically ableto ensure this easily.

Defrosting a deep-frozen food is more problematic, since this processcannot typically be performed at the rate that is possible for freezing.Finally, the food to be defrosted, which naturally defrosts from theoutside to the inside, is not intended to be fully or partially cookedon the outside. Therefore, frozen foods are defrosted in an environmentwhich sometimes is only a few degrees above zero. But this requiresrelatively long defrosting times. Long defrosting times entail theproblem, however, that these foods are exposed more or less uncontrolledto their surroundings during the defrosting process and may therefore bemicrobially, e.g. bacterially or fungally, contaminated. This ispossible at temperatures as low as −8° C. to −10° C.

Ambient conditions such as temperature and pressure have an impact onthe later quality of the food in conjunction with the production of thefood as well. This is the case, for example, when fermenting dough forproducing baked products. A temperature increase during fermenting letsthe fermentation process run faster, which may sometimes be undesirable.The dough must be refrigerated for this reason. Refrigeration howeverposes the risk of condensate formation, which is primarily undesirablewith respect to a risk of contamination.

A rotisserie grilling device with an integrated sensor system is knownfrom DE 20 2010 015 609 U1. In this prior art grilling device, thecooking chamber represents the conditioning space. It is closed. Acirculating fan is used to produce a circulating air flow in the cookingchamber. An electrically or gas-heated heat exchanger provides therequired temperature which is conveyed by the air flow from the heatexchanger to the food to be grilled in the grill area. It is aparticularity of this prior art grilling device that the air flow doesnot just flow onto the food to be grilled, which is on spits, fromoutside but also from inside via respective air-circulating ducts. Whilethis prior art discloses capturing the humidity and flow rate within thecooking chamber, controlling these variables is not envisaged.

The above explanations demonstrate that conditioning foods is useful andnecessary for different production-related temperature changes tomaintain the quality of a food as best as possible following thetemperature change. A particular challenge in this respect isconditioning the foods in a conditioning space which is not tightlysealed.

The foregoing example of the related art and limitations relatedtherewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Otherlimitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill inthe art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.

SUMMARY

The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and depictedin conjunction with systems, tool and methods which are meant to beillustrative, not limiting in scope. In various embodiments, one or moreof the above described problems have been reduced or eliminated, whileother embodiments are directed to other improvements.

Proceeding from this background, an aspect of the present disclosure isto provide a method for conditioning a food, in conjunction with aproduction-related process step, involving a temperature change in anair environment, which not just enables effective and low-energyconditioning but allows performing the conditioning of foods in an openconditioning space, for example if a continuous cooling system ispresent.

This is achieved by a method of the type mentioned at the outset, inwhich

-   a) climatic data influencing the food in the conditioning process    are captured during the conditioning process in the surroundings of    the food within the conditioning space, wherein, as climatic data,    the conditioning variables of temperature, absolute water content,    and air pressure are captured as measured values and are compared    with food-related setpoint values for the temperature change    process, and-   b) if a deviation of the measured value from the setpoint value    associated therewith is detected, the surroundings of the food in    the conditioning space are influenced in order to adjust the    measured value to the setpoint value, wherein, for the purpose of    this influencing, an air flow is applied to the food in the    conditioning space, and    -   (i) influencing is performed in relation to an adjustment of the        measured temperature to the setpoint temperature via the        supplied air amount and/or the temperature of the supplied air        flow,    -   (ii) influencing is performed with respect to an adjustment of        the measured pressure to the setpoint pressure via the supplied        air amount, and    -   (iii) influencing is performed with respect to an adjustment of        the absolute measured water content to the absolute setpoint        water content via a corresponding aerosol load of the air flow.

In this conditioning method, various climatic conditioning variables arecaptured for conditioning the food within the open conditioning space.Variables captured are temperature, absolute water content, and airpressure within the conditioning space, preferably near the foods to beconditioned. If desired, other conditioning variables can be captured,such as air movements triggered, for example, by a draft, convection, orthe like. Setpoint values were predetermined for the food-relevantconditioning variables temperature, relative humidity, and air pressure,which should be present at a specific temperature or in a specifiedtemperature range during the temperature change process. The relativehumidity, which is equivalent to the water activity of the food, iscaptured via the conditioning variable of absolute water content. Theabsolute water content in the surroundings of the food is in a definedrelationship with its relative humidity, which again istemperature-dependent. The setpoint values are predetermined such thatthe food has the desired properties/quality characteristics in theconditioning process step. This can be a process of cooling down, forexample of baked products removed from an oven, defrosting ofdeep-frozen foods, or maintaining a constant climatic environment or achanging climatic environment. In the case of a temperature change, thesetpoint values change as a function of the temperature change of thefood. When the temperature rises, relative humidity, for example,changes as well, which can be compensated by providing respectivesetpoint values. When detecting a setpoint value shift of a conditioningvariable, the surroundings of the food in the conditioning space areinfluenced accordingly to harmonize the current measured value of aconditioning variable with the specified setpoint value.

It is a specialty of the disclosed subject matter that two actuators areused to influence the conditioning variables temperature, absolute watercontent derived from the relative humidity, and air pressure. The oneactuator is an air flow which flows onto the food in the conditioningspace. By exerting a respective influence, the air temperature and theair pressure can be influenced using the air flow in the conditioningspace. The temperature can be influenced by controlling the temperatureof the supplied air flow accordingly. The air pressure is influenced viathe amount of air supplied. An aerosol generator for generating aerosolwith which the air flow is loaded is used as the second actuator forinfluencing the climate in the surroundings of the food in theconditioning space. The aerosol is then carried by the air flow into thesurroundings of the food. In this manner, the absolute water content inthe conditioning space and thus in the immediate surroundings of thefood can be influenced. The air flow is used as the carrier of theaerosol whose droplets are small enough to be carried along in the airflow as a floating load. It is advantageous if the air flow isintroduced into the air flow only inside the conditioning space or whenit enters the conditioning space. In addition to a change of theabsolute water content in the surroundings of the food and thus therelative humidity on the surface of the food, the aerosol supports thecooling process adiabatically, such as when cooling down baked productsafter their removal from an oven. The temperature in the conditioningspace can also be influenced by controlling the aerosol temperatureaccordingly. The use of aerosol has the special advantage that no heatsource must be used for its generation, which differs from using steam.It is also not typically necessary to use a refrigeration unit.Therefore, smallest aerosol fluid droplets can be supplied at thedesired temperature without having to consider condensation processesrelated to temperature drops, which is the case when using steam.

The aerosol load of the air flow can be used to bind dust particles. Ina bakery, this dust can be particulate matter or flour dust. Bindingdust improves the air conditions in the area through which the air flowborne aerosol flows. Since dust can carry microorganisms, particularlymold spores, this prevents contamination of foods such as bakedproducts.

The air pressure can be influenced to increase it. Increased airpressure minimizes the steam partial pressure from a baked product,which can further lengthen the time the baked product stays fresh.Similarly, entry of microorganisms such as mold spores is avoided inthis manner.

Since an air flow is used for influencing the climate within theconditioning space, the previously described conditioning method issuitable for conditioning foods in an open conditioning space throughwhich the foods are conveyed using, for example, a continuous conveyor,such as a conveyor belt. Air (temperature) exiting from the conditioningspace is compensated by the inflow and the described control of theclimatic surroundings of the food.

The setpoint values can be the result of test series on the foods.According to one embodiment, the water activity of the food is includedin the setpoint values. The aforementioned climatic variablestemperature, absolute water content, and air pressure influence thewater activity in a temperature change process. Therefore, the ambientclimate of the foods can be described particularly well and sufficientlybased on these values. This is also remarkable when considering that achange in one of the above-mentioned variables can result in undesirablechanges in the quality of the food, even if the other variables remainconstant. For example, the capacity to absorb water as well asdesorption and absorption processes in the food change depending ontemperature. The water activity values of foods are known for differenttemperatures. Therefore, water activity is particularly suited fordetermining the setpoint values for the climate in the surroundings ofthe food in the conditioning space based thereon and on the temperaturechange to be performed.

Setting the relative humidity through a larger or smaller aerosol loadadditionally has the advantage that the aerosol can be used as a carrierfor antimicrobial and/or antifungal substances, if these are intended tobe introduced into the conditioning space. Biological substances areused as such substances. These are not destroyed when providing aerosolrather than steam because the water does not need to be heated for steamgeneration. If the aerosol must be sterile, it can be sterilized usingelectromagnetic radiation, for example by UV radiation. This process canbe coupled with the process of aerosol generation. It is also an optionto perform such sterilization a short time before the aerosol enters theair flow.

Instead of electromagnetic methods for providing sterile aerosol,another option is to produce cold plasma by ionization of air, whichresults in plasma cluster formation in microorganisms and kills them.Cold plasma can be added to the air flow. Such an air flow is not juststerile, is also has a sterilizing effect. This measure will kill, forexample, bacteria, yeasts, and mold fungi. The prescribed options ofsupplying sterile aerosol or cold plasma by ionization of the air flowcan be used when treating foods at room temperature, both for coolingdown and defrosting.

The climate inside the conditioning space can be influenced by the airflow in a short time, virtually spontaneously, both with respect to adesired temperature change, a change of the flow rate, or of the aerosolload of the flow. This does not only require rapid adjustment of themeasured value to a setpoint value when a setpoint value shift isdetected; it also allows very precise control of these conditioningvariables, either for keeping climatic surroundings of the food constantor for temperature change processes over the entire duration of theconditioning process. Therefore, this method for improving the settingof the desired food quality is also suitable for including climatic datathat are present outside the building in which the conditioning space islocated into the closed-loop control process. Such influence can beexerted proactively, where required, to prevent greater setpoint valueshifts inside the conditioning space. Such setpoint value shifts may beair pressure related, for example. If the absolute water content, thetemperature and/or air pressure change rapidly, for example due to aweather change outside the building, this will become noticeable with aspecific delay in an open conditioning space. To avoid having to controla greater setpoint value shift detected in the conditioning spacespontaneously across its entire magnitude, which may result in over- andundershooting, timely changing the control variable of at least one ofthe actuators allows an early response to an expected setpoint valueshift. For such influencing, the time it takes for a climatic changedetected outside the conditioning space to become noticeable in theconditioning space is taken into consideration. As a result, climaticchanges occurring outside the conditioning space will not adverselyimpact the quality of the food subjected to conditioning. This meansthat high food quality can be ensured even for production-relatedtemperature change processes, even if climatic conditions in thesurroundings of the conditioning space change rapidly.

This method can also be used to anticipate regularly recurring climaticchanges outside the conditioning space, such as the temperature gradientover a day, which also involves changes of the dew point, the absolutewater content in the ambient air. This applies accordingly to seasonalchanges in these climatic variables.

Similarly, this method can be used to compensate influences on the airflow, which become noticeable in the conditioning space, for example byconvection or a draft in the building, without having to accept adecline in quality of the food.

In addition to the climatic data already described, this conditioningmethod can also be used to monitor and control gas percentages or gasconcentrations in the surroundings of the food. For example, the CO2content and/or the O2 content in the surroundings of the food can bemonitored. Monitoring and controlling the CO2 content and/or the O2content in the surroundings of a food during its conditioning is oftenfavorable, for example when producing dough for baked products or inconjunction with operating other fermenting facilities. In theproduction of dough, a specific oxygen content in the ambient air isneeded during fermentation to maintain a specific dough quality. Gaseswhich occur during the fermentation process, such as carbon dioxide orethanol, dilute and thus reduce the oxygen content in the surroundingsof the food accordingly. To avoid reducing the fermenting power of theyeast in the fermentation process to a point where fermentation isinhibited, a specific minimum oxygen content is required in thesurroundings of the dough. Oxygen is also needed for the formation ofaroma-active substances during fermentation. In addition, dough rheologyand the volume of baked products produced from the dough can befavorably influenced by a minimum oxygen content. Wheat doughs inparticular are oxidatively stabilized. For this reason, and for ensuringthe required air quality for people working in production, the contentof specific gases, e.g. the O2 content and/or the CO2 content and/or theethylene concentration in the open conditioning space are monitoredusing respective sensors in one embodiment of the method. Typically, theconcentrations of the two gases CO2 and O2 are monitored. The measuredgas content values captured are compared to the specified setpointvalues for CO2 and O2 contents. When detecting a deviation that requirescorrection, oxygen-richer supply air is fed into the conditioning spacevia the air flow provided for conditioning, optionally in combinationwith an increase in the amount of air supplied. This action increases alow oxygen content. At the same time, it reduces the CO2 content.According to one embodiment of the method, the oxygen-richer supply airis provided by supplying ambient air from outside the building in whichthe conditioning space is located. This can be achieved by opening orenlarging an already open building opening, for example a ventilationflap or the like.

The fermentation process and thus the quality of dough and bakedproducts can be optimized via the oxygen content in the surroundings. Itis assumed that it is stated for the first time herein that it isadvantageous to monitor the oxygen content in fermentation spaces withrespect to the flow of the fermentation process. Fermentation can beaccelerated and the formation of aroma and flavoring substances in thebaked products can be improved at a specific oxygen content. Inaddition, the oxygen content also influences dough stability forimproved handling of the dough pieces, for example with respect to animproved baking volume or increased freezing/defrosting resistance.

In fruit, the ethylene concentration can be monitored, for example,which also must not exceed specific values. When treating raw meat as afood, the presence of a higher oxygen content is advantageous because itwill keep its red color for a longer time.

It is assumed that the connection between the quality of a dough and theO2 and CO2 concentration in the surroundings of the dough have for thefirst time been identified as quality-influencing factors for doughproduction and the baked products to be produced therefrom. In oneembodiment, the concentrations of these gases are therefore to bemonitored and controlled with respect to a predetermined level.

Alternatively, or in addition to monitoring the CO2 and O2concentrations in the ambient atmosphere of the food (ambient air), theconcentrations of other gases may be monitored. If the conditioningprocess is for example performed in an inert gas atmosphere, e.g. in anitrogen environment, the concentration of this gas can be monitored andcontrolled.

The concentrations of specific gases, e.g. the oxygen content, can alsobe monitored in conjunction with conditioning foods as part of adefrosting process. Sometimes the oxygen content in a defrostingatmosphere must not exceed a specific value to prevent oxidationprocesses during defrosting.

The method described above is suitable for different processes. For thetreatment, processing and/or production of foods. This includes, forexample, the cooling down of heated, baked foods or the defrosting ofdeep-frozen foods as well as keeping the ambient climate constant orchanging the ambient climate over a process period, as is desired, forexample, for the fermentation of dough.

The described method is also particularly suited for temperature changeprocesses in which the temperature change is performed in two or moresteps and different climatic conditions are desired in the foodenvironment in each step.

The control process described above can be performed using per se knowncontrol algorithms. In many cases, the individual steps will beconnected in such a case, such that exhaust air from a first step flowsinto the second step (or vice versa). Since the air flow and aerosolsupplied to each step can be set independently, the desired climate inthe surroundings of the food can be set and the control process can bemaintained in such a case.

The conditioning space can essentially be any space. The conditioningspace can for example be an area of a building, without any furtherspatial partitioning. It is also possible that the conditioning space isa run-through tunnel, as described above. Such a conditioning space maywell be a closed space. Multiple conditioning spaces may be arranged inone building and may well be in an operative connection with respect tosetting and maintaining the respective desired climatic surroundings ofthe foods.

In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above,further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference to theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein likereference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will be explained below with reference toillustrated embodiments. Wherein:

FIG. 1: shows a block diagram for explaining a method for cooling downbaked products after their removal from an oven, and

FIG. 2: is a schematic view of a defrosting plant for performing amethod according to the present disclosure.

Before further explaining the depicted embodiments, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetails of the particular arrangements shown, since the invention iscapable of other embodiments. It is intended that the embodiments andfigures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather thanlimiting. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purposes ofdescription and not limitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION First Depicted Embodiment

The baking pieces are baked in a continuous oven 1 and removed as bakedproducts from the oven 1 upon completion of the baking process. This canbe a continuous process or a batch process. The baked products removedfrom the oven 1 are placed in a refrigeration unit, which in theembodiment of FIG. 1 is implemented as a cooling tower 2. The coolingtower 2 represents a conditioning space in this embodiment. Bakedproducts are conveyed from the top to the bottom in the cooling tower 2,as indicated by the downward block arrows in FIG. 1. The conveying pathcan either be vertical, as shown schematically in FIG. 1, or in a spiralor another conveying route on which the baked products are conveyed fromthe top plane to the bottom plane. The baked products are typicallyconveyed via a conveying spiral in the direction mentioned, at agradient between 7% and 10%. Setting up a gradient of 8% has proveduseful.

The baked products, in the figure schematically shown as breads 3 whichwere baked at an oven temperature of more than 160° C., emit heat andsteam. This alone creates an updraft in the cooling tower 2, asindicated by the upward block arrows. When the breads 3 have beenconveyed along a certain path against this flow direction in the coolingtower 2, they enter a temperature zone in which an aerosol treatmentstarts. An upper aerosol treatment temperature starts at a 90° C.-95° C.core temperature of the baked products in the embodiment shown. Theupper aerosol treatment temperature is below 100° C. in any case. Fromthis height in the cooling tower 2, there is an air and aerosol supply 4with which aerosol borne by air is introduced into the cooling tower 2at a temperature of about 25° C. to act on the breads 3 to be cooleddown. Air and aerosol are supplied peripherally in this cooling path ofthe cooling tower 2. The air-borne supply of the aerosol generates acertain positive pressure in the area of the air and aerosol supply 4,i.e. the area in which the baked products to be cooled down are located.The positive pressure generated is about 10-20 Pa in the embodimentshown.

Sensors which capture the climatic surroundings of the baked productsare located at a suitable spot near the baked products to be cooled downin the cooling tower 2. They capture the temperature, air pressure, andabsolute humidity in the embodiment shown. The measured values capturedwith these sensors are compared to the predetermined setpoint valueswhich should be present in the surroundings of the baked products to becooled down in a specific area of the cooling tower 2. The setpointvalues are values which define the cooling climate needed for settingthe desired properties and quality features in the breads 3 to be cooleddown. For example, the ambient pressure and relative humidity can beused to influence the moisture content of the cooling breads and thustheir water activity. The setpoint pressure is used to prevent thebreads 3 from releasing too much moisture while cooling down in theembodiment shown. When a difference between a captured measured value ofone of the monitored climatic variables and the specified setpoint valueis detected which exceeds a specific allowed tolerance value, theclimate in the surroundings of the baked products to be cooled down isinfluenced accordingly. In such a case, there is a setpoint value shiftthat requires correction.

The climatic surroundings of the foods to be conditioned are influencedvia the two actuators—air flow and aerosol load. Depending on thesetpoint value shift and/or climatic variable to be corrected, the airflow is either controlled with respect to its flow rate (pressurechange) and/or its temperature. Alternatively or in addition, theaerosol load can be influenced or changed. The aerosol load is primarilyused to set the desired absolute water content for changing ormaintaining the relative humidity.

The air follows the upward hot air flow which is due to convection andto the positive pressure set and flows upwards. The aerosol supply inthis section of the cooling tower 2 is adjusted to the temperature ofthe breads 3 that is to be reduced in this section. The breads 3 arecontinuously conveyed through this zone of air and aerosol supply 4. Forthis purpose, the aerosol supply 4 is implemented in this embodimentshown by three aerosol supply segments, wherein the supplied amount ofaerosol decreases from the top aerosol supply segment to the bottomaerosol supply segment in this section of the cooling tower 2. Theaerosol supply amount is set up such that the breads 3 do not experiencea weight loss while they are conveyed through this section, and insteadexperience a slight weight gain. In the embodiment shown, the aerosolsupply amount is set such that the water saturation in the area of thebreads 3 remains about constant, e.g. at about 80% relative humidity.The climate in the surroundings of the bread 3 is controlled by theprocess of comparing it to previously determined setpoint values asdescribed above. In the embodiment shown, a mean treatment temperatureat which the first aerosol treatment phase ends is reached when thebreads 3 have cooled down to a surface temperature of the baked productsof 65° C. Thus, the aerosol treatment phase ends inside the coolingtower 2 at a height at which the breads 3 only have a surfacetemperature of 65° C. In this embodiment, the mean product surfacetreatment temperature is 65° C. to have a safety factor becausemicrobial recontamination of the breads 3 may occur at a temperatureunder 60° C.

To prevent recontamination of the breads 3, sterile air is supplied inthe following second aerosol treatment phase. A second air and aerosolsupply 5 is arranged in a second cooling section which follows the firstcooling section in the cooling tower 2, and here, too, the air-borneaerosol is introduced peripherally with respect to the cooling section.While the aerosol supply in the aerosol treatment area of the firstcooling section is set up during the first phase of an aerosol treatmentsuch that the aerosol can diffuse into the core of the breads 3, theaerosol supply in the residual cooling down area and thus during thesecond aerosol treatment phase will primarily act on the surface of thebreads. The biological additives supplied with the aerosol in this phaseare also adapted to avoid or prevent recontamination. In this secondaerosol treatment phase, the aerosol is introduced into the coolingsection with sterile air. The pressure set by the air and aerosol supplyin this second cooling section is about 10 Pa higher than the pressureset in the first cooling section. This measure effectively prevents aninflow of air from the first cooling section into the second coolingsection. It also prevents non-sterile ambient air from entering thecooling tower 2 through an outlet through which the cooled down bakedproducts are discharged from the cooling tower 2.

The residual cooling phase ends when the baked products have reachedambient temperature or have sufficiently cooled down to be subjected tofurther treatment. In the embodiment shown, the breads 3 are supplied inanother treatment step after the cooling tower 2 to a cutting machine 6,where they are sliced before they are packaged.

The above description of the cooling device makes it clear that it is acontinuous cooling device which is not sealed tightly from itssurroundings.

Second Depicted Embodiment

This embodiment describes a defrosting facility 7.

In this facility, the food is subjected to a temperature change processwhich takes place in the opposite direction. The defrosting facility 7of this embodiment (see FIG. 2) is designed as a continuous device. Itincludes a conveyor system 8 for transporting the unpackaged,deep-frozen foods to be defrosted after they were removed from a freezerroom 9. The transport direction of the conveyor system 8 is indicated byan arrow in FIG. 1. The conveyor system 8 is sufficiently wide thatmultiple foods to be defrosted, which are blocks of fish 10 in theembodiment shown, can be placed next to each other. The defrostingfacility 7 has a hood 11 under which the defrosting section is located.The hood 11 is used to protect the foods to be defrosted and for thermalor climatic insulation of the defrosting section from the ambienttemperature. The space under the hood 11 represents the conditioningspace in this embodiment. It will mostly be considerably higher than thetemperature at which the deep-frozen foods (here, the blocks of fish 10)are to be defrosted. The hood 11 provides a defrosting chamber A1 whichforms the conditioning space in this embodiment. Since the conveyorsystem 8 conveys the foods to be defrosted 10 through the defrostingchamber A1, the defrosting chamber A1 is designed as a defrostingtunnel.

The conveyor path on which the blocks of fish 10 are transported on theconveyor system 8 has a grid-like perforation for conducting an air flowtherethrough. In addition, the perforation may drain any dripping wateraway from the foods to be defrosted. For this purpose, a drip pan notshown in the figures is provided under this conveyor path.

Multiple air outlet hoses 12, 12.1, 12.2, which in the embodiment shownare textile hoses, are located above the conveyor system 8 and insidethe hood 11. The air outlet hoses 12, 12.1, 12.2 are each connected to arespective air supply 13, 13.1, 13.2 via which air is introduced intothe air outlet hoses 12, 12.1, 12.2 and out of these into the defrostingchamber A1. The respective air supply 13, 13.1, 13.2 includes operatingunits such as a pump, filters, a temperature control device, and thelike for this purpose, which units are not shown in FIG. 2. The amountof air supplied can also be set. A perforated aerosol outlet pipe 14,14.1, 14.2 via which aerosol can be dispensed via an aerosol supply 15,15.1, 15.2 is located next to each air outlet hose 12, 12.1, 12.2. Theaerosol is generated, without necessarily increasing temperature, usingan ultrasound aerosol generator in such a manner that the aerosol has adroplet size of about 0.001 to 0.005 mm or smaller. The respectiveaerosol outlet pipe 14, 14.1, 14.2 is arranged with respect to therespective adjacent air outlet hose 12, 12.1, 12.2 such that the airflow exiting the respective air outlet hose 12, 12.1, 12.2 picks up theaerosol droplets exiting the respective aerosol outlet pipe 14, 14.1,14.2 and carries them along as a floating load. Each unit including anair outlet pipe 12, 12.1, 12.2 and an aerosol outlet pipe 14, 14.1,14.2, respectively, is used to supply air and aerosol, wherein therespective supply can be controlled independently. These units willhereinafter be called air-aerosol supply units.

An exhaust ventilation 16 not shown in detail is located underneath theconveyor system. The exhaust ventilation 16 includes a collectorarranged under the conveyor system 8 (shown in a side view in FIG. 2).The collector is designed to be associated with an extraction opening ofeach air-aerosol unit and is therefore located thereunder. The exhaustventilation 16 can be operated actively to suction air and aerosol outof the defrosting chamber A1. This is meant to generate a directedaerosol-loaded air flow inside the defrosting chamber A1 from the airoutlet hoses 12, 12.1, 12.2 to the conveyor system 8 with the blocks offish 10 thereon and towards the exhaust ventilation 16. The conveyorsystem 8 is perforated to let the aerosol-loaded air flow through, suchthat the air flow also passes between blocks of fish 10. It is inprinciple sufficient to generate such an air flow passively, such thatthe air flow described above only flows via the air outlet hoses 12,12.1, 12.2 into the defrosting chamber A1. The defrosting chamber thenhas one or multiple air outlets to achieve the desired air flow.

The air supply and the aerosol supply are used as actuators for settingthe defrosting climate in the surroundings of the foods to be defrosted(here, the blocks of fish 10). Respective sensors are arranged in theconditioning space formed by the hood 11 for this purpose to capture thedesired climatic data: temperature, air pressure, and absolute watercontent. A control unit compares these with specified setpoint valueswhich define the climate in the immediate surroundings of the blocks offish 10 to be defrosted as a function of the progress of the defrostingprocess and thus as a function of the position of the blocks of fish 10inside the defrosting tunnel. As described for the first embodiment, oneor both actuators are controlled depending on the setpoint value shiftto be corrected.

The blocks of fish 10 taken out of the freezer room 3 are unpacked andplaced onto the conveyor system 8 for defrosting. The blocks of fish 10then typically have a temperature of approx. −25° C. to −20° C. Theblocks of fish 10 are then defrosted in an air flow borne aerosolenvironment in the defrosting facility 7 under the hood 11 in thedefrosting chamber A1 defined by the same. The air supplied via airoutlet hoses 12, 12.1, 12.2 is supplied in the embodiment shown at atemperature of +4° C. This is the desired defrosting temperature whichwill then prevail in the defrosting chamber A1. The air flow suppliesthe aerosol it carries to the blocks of fish 10, for which purpose theaerosol outlet pipes 14, 14.1, 14.2 are filled with aerosol. Thismeasure reduces the time needed for defrosting due to the considerablybetter heat transfer compared to a defrosting environment without anaerosol load. At the same time, the moisture provided by the aerosolprovides a defrosting climate which is virtually water-saturated whendefrosting the blocks of fish 10 described here as an example, or, inother words: The high equilibrium moisture content prevents the foods tobe defrosted from drying out. This also ensures that the thawing blocksof fish 10 do not significantly dry out in view of the productspecifics. The aerosol-loaded air supply in interaction with the exhaustventilation 16 is set such that a specific positive pressure is presentin the area of the blocks of fish 10 conveyed on the conveyor system 8.Such a positive pressure is set to correspond about as far as possibleto the vapor pressure that builds in the blocks of fish 10 during thedefrosting process. The result of this measure is that the vaporpressure that builds in the food—here, a block of fish 10—does not ordoes not significantly escape, which largely or completely prevents aweight loss which would otherwise have to be accepted when defrostingdeep-frozen foods.

The defrosted blocks of fish 10 leave the hood 11 at a core temperatureof about ±0° C. to +4° C. The defrosted blocks of fish 10 are removedfrom the conveyor system 8 and supplied to further processing. The speedof travel of the blocks of fish 10 through the defrosting tunneltypically is between 4 and 8 hours.

In the two embodiments described above, the aerosol is generated usingan ultrasound device. This saves energy. In addition, a preciselydefined droplet size can be set within a narrow size spectrum. It isparticularly advantageous that no higher temperature is needed foraerosol generation, such that the aerosol can also be used as a carrierof antimicrobial and/or antifungal substances.

The two embodiments described above illustrate that a suitable climatecan be set up inside a conditioning space in a particularly simple andenergy-saving manner for increasing product quality at a temperaturechange using just two actuators—an air flow and an aerosol supply.

The required sensing and control equipment of the methods described isnot shown in the figures for the sake of clarity; also omitted is thefact that these are connected to an electronic control unit whichinfluences the actuators.

The description based on the depicted embodiments makes it clear that amethod according to the present disclosure allows setting up the climatein the immediate surroundings of foods in a particularly simple andeffective manner as may be required. The air flow provided forconditioning also contributes to a change of air in the conditioningspace. Such a method can also be used for humidifying and dehumidifyingif the setpoint values are specified accordingly.

The method described can also be used to clean the conditioning space,using the same measures in the conditioning space, for example by addingrespective substances to the aerosol, for example to sterilize theconditioning space and its walls, for example during interruptions offood treatment, food processing, and/or food production.

It is a particular advantage, as described in reference to the depictedembodiments, that climatic conditioning can also be used in openconditioning spaces and therefore in a continuous food treatmentprocess, food processing process, and/or food production process. Thismeans that the climate in the conditioning space can be kept constant.This method differs from conventional methods in this respect, whereconditioning was performed in closed spaces and in batches. Introducingand removing a food into and from such a conditioning space results insignificant climatic changes in the conditioning space. Hygienicproblems are the consequence.

This method can also be used in conjunction with storing foods or rawmaterials for foods.

Although the invention has been described based on some exampleembodiments, a person skilled in the art can find numerous other ways toimplement or use the method within the scope of the applicable claims.

While a number of aspects and embodiments have been discussed above,those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications,permutations, additions and sub-combinations therefor. It is thereforeintended that the following appended claims hereinafter introduced areinterpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additionsand sub-combinations, which are within their true spirit and scope. Eachembodiment described herein has numerous equivalents.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms ofdescription and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the useof such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of thefeatures shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognizedthat various modifications are possible within the scope of theinvention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although thepresent invention has been specifically disclosed by preferredembodiments and optional features, modification and variation of theconcepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in theart, and that such modifications and variations are considered to bewithin the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.Whenever a range is given in the specification, all intermediate rangesand subranges, as well as all individual values included in the rangesgiven are intended to be included in the disclosure. When a Markushgroup or other grouping is used herein, all individual members of thegroup and all combinations and sub-combinations possible of the groupare intended to be individually included in the disclosure.

In general, the terms and phrases used herein have their art-recognizedmeaning, which can be found by reference to standard texts, journalreferences and contexts known to those skilled in the art. The abovedefinitions are provided to clarify their specific use in the context ofthe invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

-   -   1 Continuous oven    -   2 Cooling tower    -   3 Bread    -   4 Air and aerosol supply    -   5 Air and aerosol supply    -   6 Cutting machine    -   7 Defrosting facility    -   8 Conveyor system    -   9 Freezer room    -   10 Block of fish    -   11 Hood    -   12, 12.1, 12.2 Air outlet hose    -   13, 13.1, 13.2 Air supply    -   14, 14.1, 14.2 Aerosol outlet pipe    -   15, 15.1, 15.2 Aerosol supply    -   16 Exhaust ventilation    -   A₁ Defrosting chamber

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A method for conditioning a food in connection witha treatment, processing, or production of the food in an air environmentin an open conditioning space, through which the food is conveyed,comprising: a) climatic data for conditioning variables influencing thefood in a conditioning process are captured during the conditioningprocess in surroundings of the food within the conditioning space,wherein the conditioning variables of temperature, absolute watercontent, and air pressure are captured as measured values and arecompared with food-related setpoint values for the conditioning process;and b) if a deviation of the measured value of one of the conditioningvariables from the setpoint value associated therewith is detected, thesurroundings of the food in the conditioning space are influenced inorder to adjust the measured value to the setpoint value, whereby an airflow is applied to the food in the conditioning space, and (i)influencing is performed in relation to an adjustment of the measuredtemperature to the setpoint temperature via the amount of air suppliedas inflow and/or the temperature of the supplied air flow, (ii)influencing is performed with respect to an adjustment of the measuredpressure to the setpoint pressure via the amount of air supplied asinflow, and (iii) influencing is performed with respect to an adjustmentof the measured absolute water content to the setpoint absolute watercontent via a corresponding water-aerosol load of the supplied air flowin which aerosol droplets are carried along as a floating load, andwherein the aerosol is generated without a heat source; wherein air andhumidity exiting from the conditioning space are compensated by theinflow of the air flow and climatic control of the surroundings of thefood, and wherein CO₂ content and/or O₂ content is captured during theconditioning process in the surroundings of the food to be conditionedand compared to the setpoint values determined for the conditioningprocess of the food, and if a deviation of the measured value from thesetpoint value is detected, the air quantity supplied from outside theconditioning space is increased and/or a fluid communication isestablished between the surroundings of the conditioning space and theoutside surroundings of a building in which the conditioning space islocated, or the air quantity flowing in from outside is increased. 12.The method of claim 11, wherein the setpoint value is determined atleast with respect to the absolute water content as a climaticconditioning variable based on a water activity of the food.
 13. Themethod of claim 11, wherein conditioning of the food is performed inmultiple conditioning steps, wherein said conditioning steps differ withrespect to the measured temperature of the food and conditionings ineach conditioning step differ in at least one other conditioningvariable.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein antimicrobial and/orantifungal substances are added to the food with the water-aerosol loadin at least one conditioning step.
 15. The method of claim 11, whereinclimatic data which influence the food during the conditioning processare captured outside the conditioning space, wherein at least one of theclimatic variables: temperature, absolute water content, or pressure iscaptured as measured external values and compared to the respectivesetpoint value related to the food and to the difference of the setpointvalue and the measured value captured inside the conditioning space, andif a deviation between an external measured value captured outside theconditioning space and the setpoint value is detected, the conditioningprocess is adjusted depending on a reaction inertia that determines ifand to what extent a change of the external measured value results in achange of the measured value inside the conditioning space.
 16. Themethod according of claim 15, wherein the climatic data captured outsidethe conditioning space are climatic data of the outside surroundings ofthe building in which the conditioning space is located.
 17. The methodof claim 15, wherein climatic predictions are included in adjusting theconditioning process in addition to the measured external value(s)obtained outside the conditioning space.
 18. The method of claim 11,wherein the method is performed in conjunction with cooling down bakedproducts after removal from an oven.
 19. The method of claim 11, whereinthe method is performed in conjunction with defrosting deep-frozenfoods.